The Deluge
The Deluge
The Deluge
By Karel van Mander
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The Deluge
The Deluge
The Deluge
In desperation people flee or climb up rocks to escape the deluge – a biblical story. Just visible in the background is the floating ark in which Noah managed to survive the disaster with his family and the animals. God made it rain for forty days and forty nights to punish the people for their sins. Only the God-fearing Noah and his family were spared. This work (a grisaille or black and white painting) is in the style of Mannerism, a movement which Van Mander introduced to the Netherlands. The deluge was an ideal subject for showing the elongated bodies, contorted poses and intense emotions that were features of Mannerism.